


baby, it's cold outside

by annadavidson



Series: let us duel the stars (a mass effect dual au) [9]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Dual AU, Jaal Ama Darav Appreciation Week 2017, M/M, Mass Effect AU, Mass Effect Dual AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 04:12:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11615616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annadavidson/pseuds/annadavidson
Summary: Each time he visited Voeld, Julian became more and more certain that this wasn’t home.Prompt: “Hold me I’m cold…oh god you are VERY close. Is that my heart or freaking Sonic stuck in my chest?”





	baby, it's cold outside

Each time he visited Voeld, Julian became more and more certain that this wasn’t home. He’d visited Antarctica once – it’d been a mission of his to step foot on every continent on Earth. He remembered Scott complaining about freezing his ass off and insisting they book the next flight to Australia’s beaches. He hadn’t compared the data yet, but he was certain that Voeld was colder and his brother would surely murder him if he ever took him here.

He could have used an Australian beach right now. He sat in the Nomad now, trying to defrost from their latest outing on the frozen wasteland  _planet._  If there was anything that could make him dislike the cold, it would be Voeld. Perhaps he was just resentful and projecting those feelings onto the planet. He grew more and more resentful of their situation – years in cryo, no way to turn back, and without a place to call home – with every uninhabitable planet they discovered.

He took his helmet off and set it at his feet. Ivory was driving so he could sit back and relax – or rather try to. He wasn’t very good at the relaxing part. Jaal sat next to him, looking cold but far warmer than the young Pathfinder. Julian’s brows knit together in confusion, trying to figure out how he could possibly feel colder than Jaal looked. Surely his suit should have provided more insulation than the angaran’s.

Jaal must have felt his eyes on him, curiously meeting his gaze. “Is there something wrong?”

“You look warm.”

Jaal, who was already feeling warmer because of the Nomad’s heating, frowned faintly, reaching forward and cupping Julian’s face with a gloved hand. “Are you still cold?”

Julian admittedly felt his face heat up. “Um yes?” He found it hard to think, to focus when he was near Jaal. His thoughts became blurred, his heart thumped in his chest. The desire to get closer to Jaal was deafening, overwhelming.

And suddenly he was closer to Jaal. He was pulled closer to the angaran – Jaal’s arms wrapping around him and holding him close. Sometimes he forgot how the angara wore their emotions on their sleeves, how this was probably something normal for Jaal to do and not awkward in any way. Still, Julian found himself wide eyed and blushing.

“Smooth,” he heard Drack chuckle under his breath.

His first thought was that this must have been a sign of his growing friendship with Jaal. Angara liked hugging and perhaps this meant Jaal was comfortable enough around him to show this kind of affection. The second thought practically shoved the first one out of the way.

Jaal was close to him –  _very close._  A loud, frantic rhythmic  _thumping_  filled his ears, and briefly he wondered if it was his heart or Jaal’s – he thought he was close enough that he could possibly hear Jaal’s heart – before he realized it timed perfectly with the thudding in his chest.

He noticed Zaal giving him two thumbs up, but he couldn’t focus. His mind was trying to catch up to his heart, trying to process the emotions he felt.  He didn’t know if he could take this as a sign that Jaal might return his affections or not. Wide, surprised eyes locked on Zaal, he definitely planned on talking to the other man about this later to see if he could help him decipher what had happened. He didn’t think Drack would want to talk about his feelings for Jaal.

He thought he heard Jaal say something but took a moment to register his words.

“Is this better?”

“Yeah!” Julian winced at his pitch. Did his voice sound high to anyone else? He was too embarrassed to ask. His heart felt like it was beating too fast, too strong, but it must have been his imagination or he was being overdramatic because SAM wasn’t notifying him on any sudden heart condition. This wasn’t the first time. His heart had sped up like this around Jaal before and around Gil and Reyes too.

Was this what people meant when they said someone made their heart race? Gabby had once said that about Liam to him. He had advised her to schedule a checkup with Lexi. Now he thought he understood how she felt better. Looking back, he thought his advice probably hadn’t been the best.

“Are you alright?” Jaal asked, bringing the Pathfinder back to reality. He was watching Julian, concern back in his eyes. Julian wondered if he looked as freaked out as he felt. He didn’t know why else Jaal would be asked that. And while he didn’t register that Jaal  _looked_  and  _sounded_  concerned, he guessed the angaran was because why else would he ask if he was alright?

“Do I not look okay?” he countered, genuinely curious. He’d been practicing expressing emotions with Liam – sometimes some of his other companions helped out too – but he wasn’t sure how much that practice was actually paying off.

“You look like you’re having an um…” Jaal trailed off, obviously trying to figure out what the right words were. He glanced to Zaal and Drack for help.

 _Anxiety attack?_  Zaal signed, looking concerned too. He had clearly caught on to the same signs Jaal had.

Jaal nodded. “That!” He began to pull away, remembering that Julian was uncomfortable with and got anxiety from physical closeness with someone he didn’t know all that well.

Julian just stared at him, unable to express that he didn’t want Jaal to pull away.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Drack advised.

Jaal just looked confused. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

Julian quickly shook his head.

“Oh,” Jaal still sounded confused, but wrapped his arms back around the Pathfinder.

Julian shifted closer to Jaal, curling up at his side and resting his head against him. He didn’t have his headphones to listen to music and calm his racing heart and mind, but he closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sound of Jaal breathing and their hearts beating together.

It sounded like music to him.

**Author's Note:**

> Like/reblog on Tumblr [here](http://magicrobins.tumblr.com/post/163436016855/julianjaal-hold-me-im-coldoh-god-you-are).
> 
>  
> 
> [Zaal's owner/creator.](http://jellyfishlovesloki.tumblr.com/)


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